Asleep
by ProphecyMarauder45
Summary: A prophecy made on the eve of the Final Battle caused Hermione to leave London on the night she's finally together with Harry. Now, five years later, she's back. She's ready to reconnect with the people she left behind and introduce Harry to someone he should have met years ago. But a new evil has followed her to London and he'll do anything to get her back.
1. Prologue: Five Years Ago

**_A/N: Hello everyone! This is my first ever fanfiction! This story has been bouncing around my head for a few years now and only got the courage of putting it down in writing after much convincing from my boyfriend! Emily Browning's version of "Asleep" was the inspiration to this story. (Yes, the song originally sang by The Smiths) (And another yes, I am a hardcore Harmony shipper and damn proud of it!) I've been working on this story for a while. Where a story was supposed to be just a few chapters is now a full blown multi-chapter and I don't see it ending anytime soon! Well, here's the first chapter sooooo... Enjoy! :)_**

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She didn't know what woke her. Her eyes adjusted to the dim room and it looked vaguely familiar. As her eyes roamed around, they settled on the person lying beside her. All memories of that night came flooding into her mind. A slow smile crept onto her lips as she lightly brushed his raven-colored hair.

_After the weekly dinner with their friends, they decided to go to Harry's flat, as it was closer, for tea and a little catching up. Rain suddenly began pouring as they were walking. Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and ran towards his flat building. Both were drenched and laughing all the way to his front door. Before Harry opened the door, he looked at Hermione and just stared. His heartbeat was suddenly fast and loud he was sure Hermione could hear it. This was one of those moments he tried so hard to avoid, tried so hard to ignore. He was scared she will see what he's been trying to hide for years, scared she will see how much he truly loves her._

_Curious as to why Harry suddenly stopped halfway from opening the door, she looked up to see him staring at her intently. Her breath caught in her throat from the way he was staring at her. How long had she longed for him to look at her like that? How long had she wished, hoped and prayed she would see all that love in his eyes directed at her? She didn't hesitate to let her eyes show what she's longed to show him, tell him but couldn't._

_Harry could read her like a book and she can read him as well. He brought his hand to her face, gently touching her cheek. She closed her eyes at his caress, bringing her hand up to cover his. Before she could open her eyes, Harry leaned down and tentatively touched his lips with hers, as if asking for permission. She opened her mouth and poured every emotion, every bit of longing and love she had in her kiss. He met her passion with his own and hastily opened the door. They stumbled inside as he closed the door with his foot and wrapped his arms around her. He needed her closer; he needed her so much more than his next breath. Her arms went around his neck as her hands tangled with his shaggy hair. She couldn't believe this is finally happening. All those nights thinking and dreaming what it would be like to be in his arms and kissing him, they didn't compare to this. They moved towards his bedroom, stopping a few times while discarding each other's clothing._

_When everything was on the floor, he picked her up and carried her to his bed. As he lay her down in the middle of his bed, Hermione looked up at him and gave him a small smile telling him that she wants this. He smiled back as he lay beside her, lightly touching her skin as he kissed her again. He will never get enough of her lips, her soft skin, and her warmth. As their kisses grew more heated, he moved and covered her body with his. He momentarily stopped kissing her, touched their foreheads together and held her head in his hands._

_"Hermione," he whispered huskily._

_"Yes Harry?" she replied._

_"Before we do this, I just… I want you to know that this isn't just lust for me. It's more than that. You're more than that," he said as he drew back a little to stare at her eyes. Tears suddenly formed in her eyes but she couldn't help but smile._

_"I know, Harry. I know. I have loved you for so long."_

_"And I you. I don't even remember the time when I didn't love you," he said, still looking straight into her eyes._

_"Oh Harry…" Hermione whispered before crashing her lips to his. Harry answered her kisses with own as he shifts his body to meet hers. He could feel the heat from the center of her body, he knows she's ready._

_"I love you so much, Hermione," he says against her mouth as he thrusts into her slowly._

_She gasps as she felt him enter her. She wrapped her arm around his neck, the other rested on his back, as he started moving in and out of her. This was beyond anything she ever felt being with a man. Hermione just knew it would be different with Harry, but she didn't think just how much more it was going to be. She could feel his ragged breath on her ear, his heartbeat on her chest, and his arms around her._

_Harry moved his head to kiss her as he moves faster. He could feel his peak coming but he refused to reach the edge before Hermione reached hers. He knew she's almost there when her moans changed, her breathing quickened and her hands tightened on his hair and back. Hermione came so hard, she swore she saw stars, and Harry followed her, spilling himself inside her. He collapsed on top of her and buried his head at the crook of her neck while willing his breath and heart to return to normal. She wrapped her arms around him, not wanting him to go, not even bothered with his weight crushing her. Harry rolled to his side but kept his arms around her._

_"You were beyond amazing," he said, while tucking her hair behind her ear._

_"So were you," she replied, smiling. Sated and relaxed, Harry rolled on his back and tucked her on his side. She rested her head on his shoulder and her hand on his chest as sleep overcame them both._

As she remembered the night's events, a distant memory came crashing to her mind as if it just happened yesterday. Her hand stopped its ministrations on Harry's hair as her blood turned cold and her breath was once again caught in her throat.

_The day of the final battle was finally here. Everyone in the castle was preparing for the fight about to take place as soon as Voldemort and his Death Eaters arrive. She was running around a corner when she bumped into someone hard. She stood up as fast as she could and apologized, "I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going-," She was cut off as soon as she saw who the other person was._

_"It's quite alright, my dear," Professor Trelawney quickly said._

_Hermione hesitantly approached her and reached out her hand to help the professor to stand up. As soon as their hands touched, Professor Trelawney seemed to enter a trance. She had a far-away look on her face. Her eyes shifted suddenly to Hermione and her voice was deep when she spoke, "When the moon is almost full, you will achieve your heart's greatest dream but you will also inflict the greatest sorrow." Then she shook her head and said, "So sorry dear, did you say something?"_

_Hermione, eyes wide, quickly pulled Professor Trelawney to her feet and run past her. She only had one idea as to what the professor was taking about. It was the one thing she kept from her best friends. She tried to deny it before but knew it was inevitable. She didn't believe in Divination, thought it was all bollocks and quite useless, but after hearing the prophecy that brought them to where they are now, she was a bit shaken. She kept running until her lungs burned. She didn't know where in the castle she was until someone called out to her. She knew who it was without looking, she knew that voice anywhere. She stopped running and slowly turned to face her "greatest dream."_

_"Harry…"_

She withdrew her hand from Harry's hair and sat up. She brought the sheet up her chest yet couldn't stop from trembling.

_Could this be what she predicted all those years ago? I would finally be with Harry but I will cause him great sorrow? _She thought to herself. _But how? How am I going to cause him sorrow?_

As she thought long and hard, she went back to the events earlier that night again. Her hand suddenly covered her mouth to smother her gasp as a realization dawned on her.

They forgot to perform the contraceptive charm.

Her hand slowly travelled to her mid-section.

_What if I get pregnant? What will Harry say? _She thought fearfully.

**_What was it that he wanted the most? You know better than anyone what his dream is. _**Another part of her answered.

_I know but I can't have him sacrificing himself like that. _

**_You're not even sure if you will be pregnant. _**Her logical part countered.

_We forgot the bloody charm! And whether or not I will be pregnant, I will cause him great sorrow and I can't do that to him. Right now, he has his new career going for him and if I turn out pregnant, I will only hold him back._

**_You know he will do anything for you. You're his best friend and he loves you._**

_I do. But I love him too much to do this to him. I need to leave._

The thought brought tears to her eyes. Just when she finally had her dream within her grasp, something happens to ruin it. She didn't want to leave Harry but she knew she must. With resolve, she quietly left the bed and looked for her wand, summoned her clothes and dressed. After dressing, she looked at Harry's sleeping form and felt her heart break into millions of pieces. She looked for a piece of paper and pen and wrote a short letter which she left on the pillow next to Harry's head. She kissed his cheek lightly, praying he won't wake then walked out of his bedroom. Closing the front door behind her, she closed her eyes as tears fell and apparated to her own flat.

Harry woke with a jolt. He had a feeling something was wrong. Reaching out to where Hermione's body was supposed to be, he felt nothing but air. He whipped his head to his side and saw a paper on the pillow. He hurriedly opened the letter, dread seeping through his bones.

_Tonight was amazing, Harry. I will never forget it._

_But I must leave. I'm so sorry. I love you so much._

_Hermione_

He rubbed his eyes, hoping they were playing tricks on him, but no. _I must leave. _That line kept repeating in his head, over and over. He crumpled the paper and threw it across the room. He hastily dressed and ran out of his room.

"Hermione!" he shouted when he reached the sitting room. He ran to the kitchen, to his office. Nothing. He apparated to Hermione's flat.

"Hermione! Where are you?!" he shouted while checking every room in her flat. He went into her bedroom and saw that a lot of her things were gone and her closet was empty. He could feel cold fear creeping in his stomach. Hermione ran away. He didn't want to think it but he knows deep inside that was what had happened. He apparated again, going to Ron's flat and knocked on the door loudly.

"What the f—" Ron started angrily but was cut-off as he saw his best mate's face. "Harry? What's wrong? What happened?" he asked worriedly as he let Harry into the flat. Luna was standing at the entrance to the sitting room in a robe, looking worried as well.

"Hermione, she—" Harry began. He couldn't get the words out of his throat. "Hermione," he began again, "I told her how I felt about her earlier tonight. She told me—she told me she felt the same way and we made love but when I woke up… when I woke up she was gone. Said she had to leave. I went to her flat and her things and clothes were gone!" Harry couldn't help it and broke down, tears streaming down his face. "She fucking left and I have no bloody clue why! She just fucking left… she ran away… she's gone."

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**_A/N: I'd love some reviews please! I'll be posting the next chapter in a few days. :)_**


	2. Present Day

**A/N: Hello! I'm so sorry the update took a while! I was swamped with work and I had to do some changes in the story so I was a little late in uploading the next chapter. I hoped you liked the first chapter. I know there were flaws but I hope you bear with me as this is my first fanfiction. Thank you for taking the time to read it. It means a lot! Now, here I give you the second chapter of Asleep! Enjoy! :)**

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The sun shone brightly as she stepped out of the store with paper bags full of groceries in her arms. Hermione hasn't been back to London in 5 years and she has to admit she missed it. She loved the tan she got from living in Australia but she also missed the constant rain cold temperature in London. She walked hurriedly past the people to get to her daughter's preschool. They've only been here for 2 weeks but her daughter has grown to love London and her new school. Her daughter got her love for books and knowledge yet she has her father's love for adventure. She remembered the day she found out she was pregnant as if it was just yesterday.

_She's been face to face with the toilet seat of her private bathroom for the last half hour. She hasn't been this sick before and she felt like she'd thrown up every organ in her body._

_"Jane? Are you alright?" Amanda Sinclair, her co-worker and flatmate, asked through her bathroom door, "I can hear you throwing up from the living room."_

_Hermione washed her mouth before opening the door. "Hey," was all she got to say before running back to throw up again._

_"Oh God, what is wrong with me?" she groaned as she sat down on the floor beside the toilet._

_"Was it something you ate last night? You barely ate anything at dinner, you know," Amanda said as she knelt beside Hermione and rubbed her back to help soothe her._

_"I don't know. I didn't think much of it at first, assuming it was just a stomach bug but it's been a few days since I started feeling sick every morning," she answered._

_"Every… morning?" her flatmate asked slowly._

_"Yeah, for the past week," she paused and looked up to Amanda and saw her expression, "What?"_

_"Jane, when was your last period?" Amanda asked her carefully._

_Hermione paused and did calculations in her mind. She began to feel panic rising inside her as she realized she hasn't had her period since she moved to Australia two and a half months ago. She whipped her head towards her flatmate, eyes wide and mouth open. Amanda suddenly stood and left the bathroom. Hermione was still in a sort of trance when she came back with her wand in her hand. She took Hermione's hand and said, "I know a charm we can use to know if you really are pregnant. I'm going to use it on you, all right?" Her words vaguely registered to Hermione so with a swallow, she just nodded her head. Amanda did some wand movements and chanted _"Exhibeo gravid!"_ They stared as the charm touched Hermione and she felt its warmth as it entered her body. Then suddenly, golden light began to emanate from her belly then disappeared. Both females stared at where the light was for what seemed like forever before Amanda broke the silence, "Is Marius the father?"_

_The question snapped Hermione from her trance and vehemently shouted, "NO!"_

_Amanda looked at her in surprise and she realized what she'd done, she took a deep breath and said in a calmer voice, "No, Marius is not the father."_

_"Then who is the father? Are you going to tell him about this?" she looked at Hermione with concerned eyes._

_She shook her head in reply and stood up. Amanda followed her as she went to the sink to wash her face and brush her teeth. When she was done, Hermione silently went back to her room and sat down on her bed. Amanda just leaned on the doorframe and looked at her from across the room._

_"Jane?"_

_Without looking up, she said sadly, "I can't tell this baby's father that we're having him or her."_

_Amanda rushed to her and knelt on the floor beside the bed, "Why not, Jane? He's the father, he should know about the baby," she paused as she falsely assumed, "Is this man married?"_

_"Oh no, he's not married. From what I knew, and I knew him quite well, that he hasn't dated in a couple of years," she answered._

_"If he's not married or dating anyone, then why can't you tell him you're pregnant? Was it a one-night stand?"_

_"It wasn't supposed to be. But I ran away from him, and here I am." Tears were now streaming down her face. She took a deep breath and thought maybe she could tell her flatmate why she really left London months ago. She's been her only friend since she moved here as she doesn't consider Marius as her friend. She looked into her friend's eyes, "I was, and actually still am, in love with this baby's father. He was my best friend in the whole world and on the night before I left London, we told each other how we felt. But years before, a premonition was made by our school's Divination professor about me and him. She said that if he and I ever got together, I'd only cause him great pain. I couldn't bear bringing him pain so I left."_

_Amanda looked at her with sympathy and sat on the bed beside her, "Honey, why would you let some old woman's words chase you away from the man you loved? The future's uncertain and it can be changed."_

_"This woman has made a number of premonitions which came true. I didn't believe in it myself but when she made a prophecy about my best friend and it came true, I came to believe her words."_

_"Are you sure can't tell him about this? I'm sure he'd understand, as you said, he's your best friend, " Amanda asked her._

_"I'm sure he hates me right now," she answered._

_"Well, if you change your mind, I'll help you tell him. For now, we'll both take care of you and your baby," Amanda said with a smile as she put her arm around Hermione's shoulders._

_"Thank you, Amanda. You're a great friend," she said, returning the smile._

Amanda was there for her in every step of the pregnancy, the birth and the few years after. She was forever grateful of her and her sacrifice so Hermione and her daughter could escape back to London.

Every time she looked at her little girl, she can't help but feel pensive. She missed everyone so much but she couldn't find the courage to go and see them. She supposed she was proving the sorting hat wrong for putting her in Gryffindor but she can't help it. There were too much to say, too much to explain and she doesn't even know where or how to begin. With all her musings, she reached her daughter's school just in time when the students came bursting out of the front doors. She silently stood while looking for her daughter and finally saw a familiar bushy mane of black hair among the children.

"Mummy!" shouted the little girl while running towards Hermione.

"Hello love," she said as she put down her groceries so she can give her daughter a hug and a kiss. "How was school?" she inquired as she picked up her bags and walked hand in hand with her daughter.

"It was great! We learned to count more than ten and then we studied some animals," the little girl replied.

"That's nice. So what do you want for dinner? Spaghetti?" Hermione asked as she opened the door to their flat.

"Yes please!" came the enthusiastic answer.

"Harry?" a knock and a voice called out from the door.

"Come in," Harry said without looking up from the court case he's been reading. "What's up, Nev?"

Neville just stood in front of Harry's desk and held out a paper in his hand. When Harry didn't hear a reply, he looked up and his eyes met the paper. He read it twice and looked up to Neville, hope and fear fighting for dominance in his expression. Neville felt sympathy for his friend, hoping this would finally bring peace and happiness to him.

"We found her. She's back in London," he said quietly.

Harry said not one word as he suddenly took the paper from Neville and stood up, went to get his coat and ran towards the Ministry atrium so he can apparate.

_She's here. She's back. _Those were the only things on his mind as he ran. His heart felt like it was going to explode from all the emotions. He's so mad at her for leaving him, so happy that he's finally going to see her, relieved that she's alive and okay, scared of what she'll say to him.

_He couldn't remember a happier moment than finally telling Hermione how he felt and finding out she felt the same way. He could have shouted on the rooftops in joy if his mouth wasn't at all busy in kissing those delectable lips of hers. He will never forget hearing those words he'd longed to hear come out of her mouth. And as he moved away to look at her, his eyes widened as Hermione started to fade in his arms. _No! _He tried to shout but no sound came out. He desperately tried to tighten his arms around her, holding onto her, but she just continued to fade. _No, Hermione! Don't go! Please! _He pleaded in his mind. He closed his eyes, praying to all that was holy that this wasn't happening, that Hermione was still with him, sleeping beside him._

_He woke up from the dream. As he looked around the room he was in, he unconsciously placed his hand on his face and realized he was crying. He took a deep breath before sitting up. Then the events of the night before came flooding into his mind. He and Hermione running through the rain, him looking at her and thinking how beautiful she was, how he instinctively caressed her cheek and proceeded to kiss her, stumbling into his flat as they discarded pieces of clothing off each other, ending up on his bed and finally, telling each other how they felt. He couldn't stop the tears from falling by then. Nothing hurt him more, not his parents' death, not Sirius's death, not Lupin's or anyone who he considered family or friends who died in the war, than when Hermione left in the middle of the night after he told her he loved her. He still couldn't wrap his mind around it, he'd been trying to think of why she could have left, but he came up with nothing._

_"Harry?"_

_He looked up to see Luna carrying a tray, with tea and cups on it, and Ron behind her. He hastily wiped his tears away with the back of his hand and cleared his throat before speaking._

_"Good morning Luna, Ron," he paused, took a deep breath and continued, "I'm so sorry for barging in last night like that."_

_Luna entered the room, followed by Ron, and placed the tray on the bedside table. She sat in front of Harry on the bed and took his hands in hers, "Harry, we're your friends. No matter the time, our doors are always open for you. You know that."_

_"That's right, mate. Even if you scared the hell out of us last night, s'all good," Ron clapped his shoulder and gave him a smile._

_Harry looked at both of his friends and said, "Thank you, both of you."_

_"Have some tea first then you can tell us what really happened last night," Luna said, sympathy and concern clear in her wide blue eyes._

_Harry waved his mind absent-mindedly then the tea was being poured into all the cups magically. As the tea cups floated into their hands, he ran through what happened the night before in his mind again._

_"I honestly don't know, Luna," he paused, sipping his tea. When he realized his hand was shaking, he put the cup down with drinking it, "We had that monthly dinner with you lot then we walked back to my place because we decided to do some more catching up. We haven't seen each other a while because I was busy finishing law school and she had her shifts in her healer training. While we were walking, it started to rain so we ran towards my flat building. Before we entered the flat, we, uh," he shifted on his place on the bed as he looked at his friends' faces, "I, uh, kissed her then you know the rest," he said quickly, embarrassed._

_Ron chuckled, "Yes, we know. You already told us the gist of it last night."_

_"But I don't get it. I mean, I've known she's had feelings for you for a really long time, so I know she wanted to be with you," Ron said absently as he rubbed his chin while thinking._

_Harry looked at his best friend as if he's grown another head, "You knew she had feelings for me?"_

_"I did. Like I knew you had feelings for her, that's why you never dated seriously after Hogwarts," he answered with a smug smile._

_Harry sighed and shook his head, "We could've had years together, mate, if you'd just told me how she felt."_

_"But really though, can't you think of reasons why she could have left" Luna asked Harry._

_"No, Luna. Nothing. I couldn't even believe that she just left her healer training like that," he said, again shaking his head._

_The three friends were silent as they were each lost in their own thoughts. It was a while before Harry looked up the Ron and Luna then broke the silence that filled the room, "I will look for her. I don't care why she left. I need to find her and I won't stop until I do."_

He appeared in a deserted alley across the building complex where Hermione's flat was supposed to be. Harry watched the building and its surroundings for a minute or two. It was a quiet neighborhood, with a few children playing out on the street. Hermione's building complex was five floors up, has white walls and four columns on the façade. Her flat is on the 3rd floor. He tried to make out the shapes and shadows inside the windows along the 3rd floor but he decided to go inside instead. Walking slowly on the stairs, he suddenly didn't know what to say to her if it is her. He can give great arguments at trials but he knew, when faced with Hermione, every word in his vocabulary will be gone like a puff of smoke. Without realizing it, he's suddenly in front of her door and he still doesn't know what he's going to say to her. He raised his right hand to knock but hesitated for an instant before rapping his knuckles against the wood. He jerked his hand back and waited.

"Here's your spaghetti, love," Hermione said as she put down a plate of pasta and garlic bread in front of her daughter. "Dig in." Then there was a knock on the door.

"Who could that be?" her daughter wondered, looking to the direction of the door then to her mother.

"I'm not sure. You eat your food while I see who it is, okay?" Hermione answered as she removed the apron from her body and kissed her daughter's hair as she passed by. She wondered who could be visiting at this late hour. None of her friends knew she was back and she's been living in muggle London so she wouldn't be seen so easily. She slowly put her hand behind her back to feel if she has her wand with her. She removed the locks and slowly opened the door. She let out a gasp as her eyes met with intensely green eyes boring into hers.

"Harry…"

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**A/N: Reviews please! :)**


	3. I Finally Found You

**A/N: Hullo guys! I'm so, so, so, so sorry it took me so long to update! I was out of town for a couple of days last week and then I had work when I got back. Also, my beta a.k.a my boyfriend was swamped with his own work so he didn't get around to editing this chapter til now. So sorry! Anyway, this is going to be a bit longer than the previous two chapters and I've included a scene here which I bet is included in every Harmonian's top Harmony moments. So without much further ado, here is the latest chapter (and I suppose everyone's been really looking forward to this part) and I hope you like it! Enjoy! :)**

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When he heard the sounds of the locks on the door being removed, he unconsciously held his breath. What if it wasn't Hermione? What if it's just another one who looked like her? But what if it IS Hermione? His mind was racing as the door slowly opened. He wasn't sure if he wished it was really her or not. Then his world came to a halt when his eyes met those chocolate-colored eyes he knew so well, eyes that haunted his dreams in the past five years. He felt as if his knees were going to give out at the weight of his emotions as he set eyes on Hermione for the first time in years.

"Hermione…" He barely heard her say his name at the same time as he breathed her name.

They just stared at each other for what seemed like hours, days, months even, both not knowing what to say to one another. Neither made a move nor a sound, fearing that any will cause them to wake up and realize it was all a dream. He wanted to touch her, hold her, just to know if she really was real, if she was really in front of him. The trance was broken when a little voice was heard from behind Hermione.

"Mummy, why are you just standing at the door?"

Harry blinked, wondering where and whom did the voice come from. Then a little girl stood beside Hermione, clutching her leg as she looked out the door.

"Hello," she said in a quiet voice. He looked down and he met another set of green eyes, eyes that he only saw in his own reflection before now. He quickly did a once over on the little girl before realization dawned on him. He looked up at Hermione so fast he felt dizzy all of a sudden. He could feel his heart racing hard and fast in his chest, he thought it would burst out any minute. Hermione covered her mouth with one hand, trying to stifle a gasp. He noticed tears were forming in her eyes. He looked down at the little girl as she eyed Harry then her mother then back to Harry again.

Hermione took a second to compose herself, then looked down at her daughter and said, "Love, are you done with dinner? If you are, please go to your room. You can watch any Disney movie you like. This man and I need to talk for a while."

"Okay, Mummy." The little girl looked at Harry for another second then practically ran to her room. The two adults watched her until they heard her closed the door to her room. Hermione took a deep breath before turning back to Harry.

"Please come in, Harry," Hermione said, trying her best not to let her voice crack. She was not prepared for this confrontation. She'd been in London for two weeks and she still was not prepared to see, much less, talk to him. But then again, she should've known that Harry would just show up at her front door sooner or later once she's back.

Harry entered the flat silently, eyes roaming, taking in the appearance of her home. He realized they hadn't been staying here long as some of the things looked relatively new.

"Would you like some tea?" she asked, needing some space and little time to think of the things she has to say to Harry. His presence in her flat unnerved her. She needed to pull herself together before she talked to him.

"Just a glass of water, please," Harry answered, glancing back at her then continued walking towards the fireplace.

"Make yourself at home, please," she said before going to the kitchen.

Harry kept looking at the row of pictures in frames on the mantle. Some were magical, like photos of him, Hermione and Ron at Hogwarts after graduation, photos of just him and Hermione after he passed his entrance exams and his graduation from law school, and others were muggle photos of her and her daughter. _His_ daughter. He might not have believed it if it wasn't obvious enough. There was no mistaking it. He could feel it in his gut, he knew. He knew that little girl was his daughter. Could that be the reason Hermione left years ago? He turned around as he heard Hermione's footsteps behind him and saw her carrying a tray with a teapot, cups and a glass of water. She set the tray down on the coffee table and straightened up, wiping her hands on her thighs and looked at Harry while chewing her bottom lip. He couldn't help but stare at her. Even after five years of not seeing her, she was still the most beautiful woman to him. Even after five years, he still loved her now as much as he did before.

_They've just set up camp somewhere in the middle of a forest. The Forest of Dean, he recalled was what Hermione said when they apparated there earlier to escape some Death Eaters who were chasing them in Godric's Hollow. It's been a few days since Ron left and they weren't any closer to finding the next horcrux. He sat in front of the fire, taking a break from reading the books Hermione brought, hoping to find clues regarding Voldemort's other horcruxes. She sat by the steps that led to the bunkers, looking sad and tired. He felt as tired as she looked but he didn't like seeing that frown and that sad expression on her. They didn't belong on her beautiful face. He wanted to see her smile again, the smiles she usually gives him. The ones full of life and happiness despite of the uncertainty of their future. He turned on the Wireless while thinking of a way to make her smile, even for a while._

_As he heard the strings of the beginning of a song, he stood up and slowly walked towards her._

Pass me that lovely little gun

My dear, my darling one

The cleaners are coming, one by one

You don't even want to let them start

_She was looking away so she didn't notice him approach. He stopped in front of her then held out his hand. She looked up to him with a question in her eyes. Harry just gave her a smile and continued to hold out his hand._

They are knocking now upon your door

They measure the room, they know the score

They're mopping up the butcher's floor

Of your broken little heart

O children

_She looked at his hand for a second before putting hers in it. Her hand was a little cold so he gave it a brief squeeze. As she stood up, Harry began walking backwards while pulling her with him. He wasn't sure what he was doing but he was glad she didn't reject him. He led her to the middle of the tent and began swaying, coaxing her to follow him._

Forgive us now for what we've done

It started out as a bit of fun

Here, take these before we run away

The keys to the gulag

_As she started moving with him, he started doing a silly dance. He spun himself while holding her hand up high then he spun her, too. They started playing around the song and she began to smile._

O children

Lift up your voice, lift up your voice

Children

Rejoice, rejoice

_Harry moved away from her without letting go of her hand then he pulled her to him. She spun around towards Harry and as she hit his body, she was laughing. He was such a bad dancer, he wasn't sure what he was doing, but Hermione seems to be having fun so he didn't mind at all if he looked like an idiot._

_They kept dancing and moving around the space as the song went on. As the song started winding down, so did they. The weight of their mission and Ron's departure began to creep into their consciousness again. He laid his head against hers as they went back to simple swaying. Harry closed his eyes, savoring the moment. Who knew when he would be able to hold her like this again? IF he will be able to hold her like this again. He heard her sigh and felt her pull away. They stared at each other for what seemed like forever. They could feel the tension between them but neither moved. He didn't know where the sudden urge to kiss her came from, but he felt it, wanted it. He was still deciding whether he should risk it when Hermione made the decision for him as she moved out of his arms._

_"Thank you for the dance, Harry," she smiled briefly before walking towards the bunkers, to her cot. Harry just stared at her back as she walked away. He felt his chest tighten and his shoulders fell. That was when he realized he was in love with his female best friend. Not with his other best friend's younger sister, but his female best friend. And he didn't know what to do about it._

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions, Harry," Hermione said. Harry snapped out of his reverie and stared at her. He could tell she was nervous. Even after five years, he still knew her, can still read her. He silently walked towards the couch and sat down. Hermione took a seat at the other end of the couch, leaving a bit of distance between them and Harry noticed this.

"How long have you been back in London?" he asked, looking intently at her.

Hermione, refused to be intimidated by his stare, answered, "Not too long. About two weeks. Iris started school a week ago. She loves it."

"Is that the little girl's name? Iris?" asked Harry, leaning a bit towards Hermione. Hermione shifted on her seat as she looked down on her hands.

"Yes," she whispered, "I named her after a flower—just like your mum and aunt."

"I don't think I need to ask if whose daughter she is because the moment I saw her eyes… I knew." Harry said quietly, looking back at the bedroom's closed door. "She looks so much like you except for the color of her hair and her eyes."

"I wanted to tell you about her, Harry, I—" Hermione looked up at Harry with tears in her eyes, "I wanted to tell you but I didn't, I couldn't."

"Why did you leave, Hermione?"

"Harry, I-"

"Why, Hermione?" There was an edge in his voice.

Hermione looked down at her hands again and sighed. "O-On the eve of the final battle, I ran into Professor Trelawney—" she started.

"What does that have to do with—" He interrupted, his eyebrow raised.

"This started it all, Harry, please. Just… listen," she pleaded with her eyes then began her story again.

"On the eve of the final battle, I ran into Professor Trelawney. We both fell and as a I helped her stand up, she took my hand and she looked like she was suddenly having a premonition—"

"I thought you didn't believe in Divination, much less Trelawney,' he interrupted her again.

"I didn't," she sighed, "I wouldn't say I'm a fan but when you told me about the prophecy that she made for you and Voldemort before you were born, I… I gave her a little credit."

"So what was her premonition about, then?" Harry prompted.

"She went into a trance and said 'When the moon is almost full, you will achieve your heart's greatest victory but you will also inflict the greatest sorrow.'" Her heart tightened as she remembered those words.

"Your greatest victory…?" He understood what that truly meant but he wanted to hear it from her.

"You, Harry. You were my greatest victory," she said in almost a whisper, looking anywhere but him. "Th-That night we made love, it was the day before the full moon. it was also the best moment of my life. But I woke up in the middle of the night then I remembered what Trelawney said. I thought that if we got together, I will only cause you great pain. I couldn't—can't bear to cause you pain," she paused, "Also we forgot to perform the contraceptive charm. There was a likely possibility I could've gotten pregnant after that, which I did anyway, because I wasn't on any birth control either."

"So you left because of a prediction? Why did you think you had to leave if that was the case?"

"I was going to inflict you the greatest sorrow, Harry! And at that time, your career was what you had going for you. I didn't want to be in the way of that. You just finished law school, started a new career. You still had your fame to deal with, too. I would've only burdened you and I can't do that to you." Her voice was so low Harry had to strain to hear her.

"You thought that by being together and by being pregnant, you would hurt my career and bring me sorrow so you left?" Harry said heatedly, "I'm sorry for being blunt here but who gave you the right to decide that for me? Did you think I wasn't capable enough to be successful in my career even if we were together and had to raise a child?!"

"No! No Harry, that's not—,"

"Then why, Hermione? Did you not think that leaving me wasn't the greatest sorrow you could possibly cause me?" Harry asked, his voice full of emotion.

"Harry, I—" she said, looking down again. She realized he was right. She initially thought that she was going to hurt him and his career if they end up together and she got pregnant but she never thought that leaving him would hurt him even more, making Trelawney's prediction come true. Maybe that was what she really saw: Hermione's departure thus causing Harry the greatest sorrow. She misinterpreted the premonition and she felt like the biggest fool.

Harry stared at his clenched fists as he spoke. "I searched for you for the past five years. I searched everywhere for you. I didn't stop looking for you. I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, because I needed to find you. I needed to know why you just up and ran away. Bloody hell, even Ron was telling me to give up! You were the brightest witch of our age and if you didn't want to be found, you won't be. But I was too fucking stubborn to listen to him. I couldn't just let you go. I loved you too bloody much."

Hermione didn't know what to say to that. He searched for her for five years? He wouldn't give up on her?

He stood up and began pacing in front of the fireplace. "The years after you left were hard. I didn't just lose the woman I loved, I also lost my best friend. The years when Voldemort was still after me were nothing compared to the years without you. I tried to think of reasons why you had to leave me like that. Why you even had to leave in the first place. And I kept coming up with nothing. I didn't know if it was something I did or didn't do. I didn't know and it was eating me up inside."

He paused from pacing and scrubbed his face with his hands, exhaustion evident in his posture. He took a deep breath before facing Hermione, "I know what it's like to have a prophecy looming over your head, not knowing when or how it will happen. But one thing I learned from my past, Hermione, is that I can't let a prophecy run my life. I can't live my life being scared of a prophecy and push everyone away to protect them and myself. You could have told me about it. We could have talked about it, done something about it. But you decided to run and hurt both of us in the process."

"I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry," she said quietly, tears streaming down her face.

Harry sighed and returned to sit on the couch. "Why did you decide to come back to London, Hermione?"

She looked at to him, "I-I came back because of you and Iris. And because there are things I need to do. I-I missed you terribly. I've thought about you every day."

Harry felt that there was something a little off in Herminone's reply. After all, Harry was an accomplished lawyer and a good judge of when someone was hiding the truth. But, he let it slide, hoping that whatever it was, Hermione would trust him enough to tell him in her own time.

"I missed you too, Hermione, so much that it hurt. I ought to be so fucking mad at you right now. I should hate you for leaving and breaking my heart like that but I couldn't," he said, voice cracking. He can't believe he's saying these things to her, he knew he shouldn't because he couldn't trust her not to break his heart again, yet he couldn't help himself, couldn't help his heart.

"I know, Harry, I hated myself for what I did to you, even more now that I've realized what a big fool I was," she took a deep breath before speaking again, " I just… I… I guess, what I wanted to ask… to know… is… is it… is it too late to ask for another chance? Is it too late for us?" she asked nervously.

Harry stared at her for a second before standing up again and went to the window, looking out at the city's skyline. She didn't know what he was thinking. She didn't know if he was already with someone and couldn't help but feel hurt but she supposed she should have expected that Harry would stop looking for her and move on. She deserved it if she didn't get another chance with him. She broke his heart in the worst way possible, she deserved nothing less.

After what seemed like forever, Harry turned around and faced her, his face giving nothing away. "A lot has happened to us, Hermione. We fought a war together, survived together, recovered and moved on together. Five years have gone by. You've changed, I've changed. I just… I can't trust you right now. I can't trust what you say. I can't trust you to be there when I need you. I can't trust you not to leave me hanging again," he paused as he ran his hand through his hair and exhaled, "Maybe… maybe we can try to get to know each other again as friends and see where that goes."

Hermione stared at Harry then nodded. It was better than she expected, "I guess that would be the right thing to do. I can't tell you how sorry I am, Harry. For what I did, for everything."

Harry just nodded, ran his hand through his hair, before asking, "Can I… can I meet our daughter?"

Hermione couldn't help but feel elated when Harry said "our daughter." "Of course, I'll go and get her," she said with a smile as she stood up from the couch then head for their daughter's room.

Harry suddenly felt nervous. What would his daughter think of him? Did she think that he abandoned her and her mother? Would she accept him? More importantly, he doesn't have a clue on how to be a father. He walked back to the couch because he didn't think his knees could hold him up much longer.

"Harry?" Hermione called out from the entry way of the sitting room, her hands on their daughter's shoulders. Iris was in front of her and was looking at Harry with an expression he couldn't place. He hoped it wasn't anything bad. Hermione and Iris moved into the sitting room and settled beside Harry while Iris remained standing in front of her mother.

"Harry, this is Iris Alexandra Granger. Iris, this is Harry James Potter," introduced Hermione, her eyes on her daughter's face, gauging her reaction. Harry stared at Iris, holding his breath while waiting for her to speak.

The girl stared at Harry for a second or two before speaking, "Mummy said that that I have the same eyes as my daddy and that his name was Harry. You're the first person I ever saw with the same eyes as mine and your name is Harry, then you must be my daddy," the little girl said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Harry couldn't stop himself from smiling. She is her mother's daughter all right, already too smart for her age.

"Yes, I am your father, Iris," Harry said slowly in a steady voice.

There was a loud squeal and he suddenly felt small arms wrap around his neck. He wrapped his own arms around his daughter's little body and smiled so wide, he felt his cheeks hurt. Hermione watched the two most important persons in her life get acquainted and felt her heart ready to burst with happiness. She was fearful of how the father and daughter would react to each other but seeing them now settled her doubts. Harry looked up at Hermione and she could see the same happiness she felt reflected in his eyes.

"I knew you would come one day! I knew you would come and find us!" Iris said excitedly as she jumped up and down in front of Harry, "I finally have a daddy! We're finally going to be a family!" she continued. Hermione's smile faltered a little at that but tried her best not to show Iris or Harry.

Harry was still staring at his daughter in wonder and awe. She truly does look like her mother aside from the hair color and eyes. He couldn't help the burst of love he suddenly felt for his daughter. He finally understood what drove his parents to give up their lives to protect him because he would do the same for his daughter.

"Are you going to stay with us, Daddy?" Iris asked, hoped was quite visible on her face.

Harry was slightly taken aback by the question, "I-I'm afraid I can't just yet, Iris. I have my own flat in London. I need to go home there," he answered.

"But-but families live together, don't they? Mummies and daddies live together with their children, don't they?" she asked with tears in her eyes, looking at her mother and father.

Hermione put her hands on her daughter's shoulders and turned Iris to face her. "That's true, love. Families live together but your daddy and I have some things to work out. We can't force Daddy to live with us because he also has a home of his own. He's been living there for a long time and he can't just give that up," she explained, hoping her daughter would understand.

"I could always come and visit you every day after work. I'll stay here until you go to sleep." Harry spoke up as Iris turned to him.

"Will you tuck me in bed and read me a story till I fall asleep?" Iris asked in a small voice.

"I promise," he answered with a smile.

"Okay," she said as she hugged her father.

"Now it's bedtime for you, little lady." Hermione said.

"But Daddy's here! Can't I stay up a little bit more?" Iris pleaded. Harry filled with joy in hearing his daughter call him "daddy" even though they have only just met.

"Sweetheart, you still have school tomorrow. You know you can't stay late during school days," Hermione reminded her.

"Come, I'll tuck you in," Harry said, taking his daughter's hand and letting her lead him to her room.

When Iris opened the door to her room, he was surprised to see that she didn't have an overly girly room. He expected pink walls and lots of frills and dolls around, but what met him were purple walls, huge windows with cushioned seats below them, one wall covered with a huge shelf filled with books and toys, cream colored carpet covered the whole floor and there was a medium sized bed in the middle of the room. He also noted the telly at the corner of the room with the collection of dvds of Disney cartoons. Iris led him to her bed and Harry helped her onto it and then tucked her in. As soon as the little girl's head hit the pillow, her eyes began drooping down but she was still fighting to stay awake.

"I love you, Daddy. I'm happy you're finally here." she said sleepily.

"I love you too, sweetheart. Goodnight." He replied.

"Goodnight, Daddy."

He kissed her forehead lightly and silently left the room, turning the lights off and leaving the door slightly ajar, in case she would wake.

Hermione watched everything from the doorway and could help but feel happiness and regret at the same time. She was happy that her daughter is finally reunited with her father and regret because she kept her away from Harry all those years.

As he left Iris' room, he found her looking at him.

"I'd better go. You probably need to rest, too," he said as he went to the sitting room to get his coat.

"Are you really going to be here again tomorrow?" she asked, trying to keep the hope out of her voice.

"Of course. I promised our daughter I'd be here every day. Besides, we still have some things to work out together so I'm thinking that could be a good way to do it." He gave her a small smile as he put on his coat.

"I think so, too," she said with a smile as Harry looked up to her.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Yes, tomorrow."

She accompanied him to the door and was surprised when he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'm glad I finally found you," he said before turning around and apparated on the spot. She unconsciously put her fingers on the spot where he kissed her and smiled. Maybe things are going to be better after all.

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**A/N: Did you like the "confrontation"? How about that little father-daughter moment? Lemme know, guys!**

**Please review! Thank you so much! :)**


	4. Telling Ron

**A/N: Hullooooo! I'm still alive! So sorry for taking so long to update. Life happened! So how did you guys like the previous chapter? Anyhoo, here's the next chapter. It's a bit short but I think the next chapter will be quite long. Anyway, I won't keep you waiting anymore. Enjoy! :)**

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The following morning Harry found himself in his office looking out the window at muggle London. He barely slept a wink as he kept repeating his encounter with Hermione the night before. He still couldn't believe that he finally found her after all these years. Taking a seat on his leather chair, his eyes fell on the picture of him, Hermione and Ron on his huge desk. He thought his best mate needed to know that he's found their female best friend so he searched for a piece of parchment and scribbled a short note saying he wanted to meet Ron for breakfast. After folding the note, he attached it on Anemone's leg, the grey eagle owl he and Hermione got for him before he started law school.

"Take this to Ron, okay? Fly safe, girl," he said as he opened the window to let the owl out into the morning sky. He went back to his chair and stared into space as he waited for Ron to arrive.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there when the fireplace roared to life and a figure of a man emerged from the green flames. Harry stood up and walked around his desk to greet Ron.

"Good morning, mate." He held out his hand to shake with Ron but the other man took Harry's hand and pulled him into an embrace.

"Hullo, mate," his best friend greeted him before pulling away, "Glad you asked me to meet you for breakfast. Luna's gone early to The Quibbler office so I dropped off little Henry at Mum's before coming here."

"How's Luna and my godson? I'm sorry I haven't been to see you lot in weeks, been a bit busy with work," Harry smiled sheepishly as they sat down on the chairs in front of his desk.

"Luna's as good as any other five-month pregnant woman should be. She's not as temperamental as she was with Henry but still drives me batty sometimes," Ron laughed, "Little Henry loves going to primary school. Definitely taken after his mum, you know how I am about school."

"Who could forget?" Harry retorted as the two of them laughed.

"C'mon then, breakfast hour will be over soon and we both have work to do," Ron said as he and Harry stood up from their seats. They went to a small café behind the Ministry which they frequented a lot due to its privacy, good food and coffee. As their cups of coffee arrived, Harry looked out the window, gathering his thoughts. Ron noticed his friend's serious expression and knew something big has happened. He was about to ask when Harry took a deep breath and looked straight into his eyes.

"I found Hermione."

Ron wasn't sure if he'd heard it right. He thought he heard his best mate say that he'd finally found their female best friend. He just stared at Harry with his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

"W-what?"

"I said I found Hermione, Ron." Harry's serious expression turned even more stern.

"W-when? D-did you see her? Did she see you? Did you talk to her? What happened to her? W-where—"

"Slow down, Ron. I saw her last night. You know how Neville's been helping me look for her?" After Ron's nod, he continued, "He gave me her new address here in London. I wasn't sure if it really was her but the look on Nev's face when he told me about the lead made me anxious to find out if it really was her, so I went straight to the address he gave me."

"And? What happened?"

Harry sighed, "I knocked and when the door opened, she was right there. Standing in front of me—in the flesh. My whole world just… stopped right there. We just stared at each other for what seemed like forever wh—," he suddenly stopped.

"What, Harry?" Ron prompted.

Harry swallowed the lump that seemed to have formed in his throat as he remembered his daughter, "She has a daughter now, Ron. A little girl with brown, tousled hair and green eyes."

"WHAT?! She has a daughter?!"

"Keep your voice down!" Harry hissed, "_WE_ have a daughter. The little girl's my daughter."

Ron's eyes grew wide and Harry thought they were going to pop out of his head. The situation would have been funny if they weren't talking about Hermione and his daughter, who he met for the first time last night.

"Whoa. You and Hermione… have a daughter?"

Harry just nodded.

"Wait a minute. Hold up," Ron put his hands up in front of him. "Lemme get this straight. Hermione left five years ago, right? Then you found her back in London last night, after years of searching for her, with a _daughter?_ And not just anyone's daughter, but _your daughter?_"

Harry nodded again, not trusting his voice at the moment.

"Bloody hell, mate. Are you sure she's even yours?"

Fury filled Harry's eyes but he kept his expression calm and simply raised his eyebrow at Ron.

"_Yes, _Ron, I'm quite _sure_ she's mine because Iris…" the anger and frustration leaving his body as he remember his daughter's wide, emerald eyes very much like his, "because those green eyes of hers are exactly what I see when I look in the mirror."

Ron slumped back on his chair and let out a whistle. Harry let out a deep breath and shook his head.

"I have no doubt in my mind that she's my daughter, Ron. Just one look at her and I knew. I just knew," he paused and looked straight at his best friend, "I never believed in falling in love at first sight. But when I saw her, all I could think of was I'd give everything I have to make her happy, keep her healthy. I'd do everything in my power to protect her, even give my own life if I have to. I've never felt this much love for one person."

Ron was nodding his head in understanding. He knew how Harry felt because those were his exact feelings when he first laid eyes on his son, Henry. He also knew how big of a deal this is to his best friend. The thing he wanted the most, a family, was already within his reach. They were silent for a few moments during which their food arrived.

"Why did she leave, Harry?" he suddenly asked Harry.

Harry sighed, put down his fork and looked down at his plate as he thought of the conversation between him and Hermione when he asked the same question, "On the night before the final battle at Hogwarts, she bumped into Trelawney and she had a premonition that when Hermione achieves her heart's 'greatest victory', she'd also inflict the greatest sorrow."

"She actually believed that?" Ron exclaimed, shocked that Hermione would actually believe anything Trelawney said.

"Well, she did make the prophecy about me and Voldemort and a few of her predictions actually came true even if not many people knew about them."

"Yeah, but Hermione hated Divination."

"She did but she said that after learning about the prophecy about me, she gave Trelawney a bit of credit. She left because she thought that being with me, she would just hurt me. We also forgot the contraceptive charm that night, so that added to her resolve to leave. She thought that being with me plus if ever she got pregnant, which she did, would only burden me, hinder my career and cause me pain."

Ron shook his head in disbelief, "So her 'heart's greatest victory' was…?"

"The night we told each other our feelings," Harry simple answered.

"And the greatest sorrow was…?"

"The pain she caused me when she left."

"Bloody hell. She misinterpreted the premonition. And she's supposed to be the smart one," Ron said as he rubbed his temples.

"She was acting rather irrationally that night," Harry nodded.

"Or she was acting more like you? Must've rubbed off on her, seeing as you spent almost all the time together," Ron teased.

Harry chuckled, "You bloody well know I'm not like that anymore. I was, but not anymore."

As their laughter died, they were silent again for a few minutes before Ron spoke again.

"Have you forgiven her for leaving?"

Harry sighed again, "The moment I saw her, I've forgiven her already. It's stupid, I know. But I…" he raked his hand through his messy locks, "I just love her too fucking much to stay angry at her."

Ron simply nodded in understanding. Hermione was the only woman Harry has ever loved. Even he knew that his best friend never loved Ginny when they were dating. "Did she ask you for another chance?"

Harry nodded, "She did. She can be the most prideful person but she asked for another chance for us to try again. But I don't trust her, not yet. I can't trust that she won't leave again, that she's here to stay. I can't trust her to tell me the truth because she's going to try and protect me."

"Why did she come back, then?"

Harry frowned and shook his head, "That's what's been bothering me since I got home after my visit. She said that the reason she came back was because of me and Iris, that she missed me terribly. But she also said that she had some things she needed to do."

Ron cocked his head to the side as Harry looked up to him. "If you're thinking I believed her, no, I didn't buy that for a second. She must have forgotten that I'm a lawyer and most importantly, her best friend. Even after all these years I can still tell when she lies or when she's hiding something from me, and right now, she's keeping something from me: the real reason she came back."

"You don't think she'd actually come back for you?"

"You know how we can be both irrationally and intensely protective of each other. She'd stay away as long as she can from me if she thought that would keep her from hurting me. I'd do the same for her, if I were in her place."

"That's going to be a huge problem for you both, being overprotective of each other."

"It is. And we're going to have to work things out if we want to make our family whole. She's going to have to tell me the real reason why she came back."

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**A/N: So what did you think? Let me know! Reviews please! :)**


	5. So It Begins

_**A/N: Hey guys! Still alive and kicking! Thank you for the reviews for the previous chapter even if it was a short one and nothing much happened. So here's the new chapter. It's longer (I did say it will be quite long, but not too long, I think. LOL). Here it is! Enjoy! :)**_

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It has been weeks since Harry finally found Hermione and met their daughter. They have grown into a routine where he would drop by her flat in the morning before he goes to work and have breakfast with them, and then he and Hermione would alternately drop off Iris at school. After work, he would go straight to their flat again and stay there until Iris would go to bed. He was glad that the Daily Prophet still hasn't caught wind of the news about his daughter. He and Hermione had a silent agreement that they wouldn't wander into the Wizarding World until everything was okay, so they spend time in muggle London whenever they go out as a family.

Ron and Luna had come to see Hermione and Iris a few days after Harry's first visit. They brought their son Henry, who was the same age as Iris. As the children played in Iris' room, the adults talked in the sitting room as to why Hermione left five years ago. It was decided that Ron and Luna will be Iris' godparents as Harry was Henry's godfather. Ron, assuming the role of the gracious godparent, gave Iris a package of _Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes Package of Pranking Paraphernalia_, from her "uncles" Fred and George, under the disapproving eyes of Hermione. Harry beamed with pride as the little girl gladly accepted the package and hid it where "Mummy wouldn't find it."

There were times when Hermione would hope that Harry would stay for the night but she never asked. They were still working on rebuilding their friendship and there were moments as if they were back to their old selves and were never apart, but she didn't want to jeopardize the process by being all _too _familiar.

Iris loved those moments they spent together doing things as a real family. She was always happy to see her parents together. She did not understand why they weren't living together yet but she never asked them. She could see that her parents loved each other very much but couldn't figure out why they both were trying to act like they don't.

One Saturday night, the little family was spending time together in the sitting room, Harry with Iris on the floor playing Exploding Snaps and Hermione on the couch, reading. Suddenly he remembered something and looked up to her and said,

"Hermione, Molly's invited us again for Sunday dinner at the Burrow. She really wants to see you and Iris."

She sighed and closed the book she was reading. "I suppose we should finally go. I mean, I want to see her and all the Weasleys, too. I think it's about time Iris meets her other family."

Iris looked up, a bright smile on her lips and said, "We're going to see Uncle Ron and Aunt Luna's family?"

"Yes, love. But be prepared, there are more Weasleys than you can count!" Harry exclaimed while spreading his arms wide.

"Daddy, you're so silly!" his daughter giggled at his antics. Hermione loved these father-daughter moments, and she cherished every single one. She knew Harry was going to be a great father—and already is—and she loved him even more because of that. He's been an amazing father to Iris, given that he has never had a steady father figure in his life.

After carrying and tucking in a sleeping Iris, Hermione thought he was going to leave as he always did after the little girl falls asleep, so she was surprised when Harry turned to her with a blush on his cheeks. He was trying to look at everything else but her and she tried not to smile at his obvious nervousness. She was even more surprised when he suddenly looked at her with a serious expression and asked, "Is it—is it okay if I stay over tonight?"

Hermione was speechless, trying to process what he just asked.

"I-I was thinking that if-if I stay tonight, it'll be easier for-for all of us to go to the Burrow together tomorrow. I could just sleep on the couch," he stuttered while blushing even more.

She snapped out of her excitement and smiled at Harry, blush creeping into her cheeks, too.

"Of course you can stay, Harry. Iris would love to wake up and find out you stayed here tonight," she said, looking down at her hands, "but the-the couch looks terribly uncomfortable. You could, umm, sleep with me."

His eyes widened and she suddenly realized what she had just said.

"I-I meant you could sleep beside me, o-on my bed! It's, uh, b-big enough for the both of us," she quickly explained.

"Are you sure, Hermione?" he asked, blushing even more.

"Yes," she whispered.

"Okay, if you're sure. I'll just pop in at home and get some clothes. I'll, uh, I'll be back quickly."

"Alright." She replied with anticipation at the thought of Harry actually spending the night with them.

He apparated on the spot and appeared in his bedroom. He'd been meaning to ask Hermione if he could stay over but didn't have the courage to ask. He knew they still have a lot to work on but it felt so good to have her back in his life. He realized that he loves her more now than he did all those years ago.

He quickly took some clothes from his closet and apparated back to her flat.

As he appeared in her sitting room, he realized Hermione changed into her pyjamas while he was gone. She had on an old quidditch shirt and a pair of boxer shorts, both she stole from him. She was in the kitchen making tea and turned as she heard him apparate in. He just stood there in the middle of the room staring at her and only snapped out of it when he saw her blush and look down. He hurriedly excused himself, saying he was going to get ready for bed.

When he was done, she was waiting for him at the hallway.

"My room's over here," she said in a low voice, he barely heard her. He followed her as she led him to the room at the back of the flat. She opened the door and stood aside so he can enter. He looked around her room, thinking it was almost similar to her bedroom in her old flat from years ago. Bookshelves filled with rows upon rows of books covered one wall with a leather chair in front of it. On one side stood a huge closet and beside that was a door that must lead to her own bathroom. There was a sliding door leading to a small porch and a huge window with a cushion seat below it, similar to their daughter's room. And in the middle of the room was her bed. He swallowed and turned to look at Hermione who was watching him as he observed her room.

"I hope it's okay," she said quietly.

"It's perfect. It's very… you," he teased with a smile.

Hermione smiled back and slowly turned to close the door. He went to the sliding door and stepped outside, feeling the cold wind. He took one deep breath, went back inside and slid the door shut.

"Which side is yours?" he asked.

"I usually sleep on the right side," she answered, looking down on the bed.

"I know," he unconsciously said. He was surprised at what he said and wondered when did his mouth disconnect with his brain.

She blushed again and said nothing, lifting the covers and sliding under them. He did the same and laid there, trying to keep as much distance as the bed would allow. Hermione noticed this but simply said, "Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight, 'Mione."

He listened as her breathing evened out, letting him know that she'd fallen asleep. He just stared at the ceiling, trying not to think of a sleeping Hermione beside him. It took a long while before sleep finally came to him.

There was something tickling his nose. He tried to move away but it wouldn't leave. He slowly opened his eyes and was met by a mass of curly brown hair. He looked down and stifled a gasp as he realized that sometime during the night, he and Hermione had moved closer and were now holding each other. He decided to savor the moment of having her in his arms again before she woke up and undoubtedly shy away from him. Before he could enjoy the moment more, an excited shout came from the door.

"Daddy! You're here!"

Hermione jerked awake and took a few seconds to realize that she was in Harry's arms, her head snuggled on his shoulder. She looked up at him and saw him staring at her with a slight grin on his face. She suddenly moved away, as he predicted, sat up and tried to fix her hair and at the same time, control the creeping blush coming over her.

Iris ran up to the bed and jumped on her parents with a huge smile on her face. "Daddy! You slept here! In Mummy's bed!"

"I did," he answered. He couldn't help answer his daughter's smile with his own as he clearly saw how happy she was. She hugged him tightly and in return he wrapped his arms around her tiny body. Even after weeks, he still couldn't believe that he and Hermione created this little bundle of energy. Right then, with his arms wrapped around the squealing, giggling form of his little girl, he renewed to himself his vow to provide her everything she would need and want and protect her with his life.

Hermione's earlier surprise subsided as she watched Iris' happiness of learning her father spent the night in their flat play out. She's been asking her, whenever they were along, why Daddy didn't spend the night with them and she would always find herself at a loss for an explanation.

She didn't want to break the moment but she knew it was time for breakfast.

"C'mon you two, it's time for breakfast," she said, smiling as the two separated and looked at her with smiles.

"Alright, let's race Mummy to the kitchen!" Harry said, mischief clear in his eyes. He stood up from the bed and carried Iris in his arms. He waited for Hermione to stand from the bed and with an evil grin, he darted out of the room with his daughter squealing in his arms.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Hermione shouted as she ran after them. As she reached the kitchen, she found Harry sitting Iris on the counter, all the while giggling non-stop, while he was smiling goofily. She smiled at them and went on to start making breakfast. Harry immediately walked up to her and stopped her saying, "Go sit down with Iris. I'll make breakfast today."

She just nodded and scooped Iris off the counter and sat her down on one of the seats at the table. She watched as Harry made breakfast the muggle way. She knew he loved cooking, it was the one thing he was grateful of the Dursleys for.

"This is the first time Daddy's making us breakfast, isn't it?" Iris asked as she also watched her father cook.

"Yes, it is," she answered with a smile.

"Does Daddy cook very well?"

Harry heard this and said "Hey!" pretending to be offended.

Hermione laughed, "As a matter of fact, your daddy is a better cook than I am."

He looked up to her and gave her a lopsided grin. She felt her stomach flutter at that, thinking how he could still affect her with that smile. She just smiled back, summoned pumpkin juice and three glasses from the cupboard.

"Do you want some pumpkin juice?" she asked Harry as she poured some for her and Iris.

"Later, perhaps. I'll have coffee first. I can never not have it first thing in the morning," he answered without looking up from what he was cooking.

After a while, he placed two plates filled with pancakes and omelets for her and Iris. He made another plate for himself, poured himself a cup of coffee before sitting down.

"What time do you want to go to the Burrow?" he asked Hermione while they were eating.

"Around after lunch, I suppose. I bet those Weasley boys will want to have a game of quidditch before dinner. Thought you might want to join them and Iris could see a qudditch game first hand,"

"Oooh! Quidditch! I've read about that in _Quidditch Through The Ages_! Daddy, will you take me on your broomstick later?" Iris asked excitedly.

"Yes." "No."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other for a second and then started laughing.

"I should have expected that she'd be interested in riding a broomstick," she chuckled.

"She's my daughter, you should have known it'll be in her blood," he laughed.

She just smiled at him and turned to look at their daughter who was busy reading the morning paper. She chuckled again at how short her attention span is, taking after her father. They finished breakfast and set about doing chores around the house before getting ready for the Burrow.

Harry was waiting when Hermione and Iris came into the sitting room. When he turned around and saw Hermione, he barely kept his jaw from dropping to the floor. She was wearing a red, sleeveless sun dress and flats, her hair was tied in a messy bun with some cascading along her face and neck. She was wearing minimal make-up which only highlighted her natural beauty. He pulled himself together and looked at their daughter beside Hermione, who was wearing a little floral sun dress almost the same shade of red and little ballet shoes. He might be biased but they were the most striking mother and child he had ever seen. He coughed a little and said, "Both of you look absolutely stunning."

Hermione blushed and smiled while Iris beamed at her father. He smiled back and went to pick up his daughter in his arms so they can apparate together.

"Ready?" he asked looking at Iris then Hermione.

Iris nodded, "Ready!" she said excitedly.

"Let's go then," he said before apparating them to the Burrow.

They appeared at the Burrow's front garden. Hermione looked up to see the all-familiar building and its lopsided floors. She smiled and felt a bit of nostalgia upon thinking of the times she spent here with the Weasleys.

Iris squirmed out of Harry's arms so he set her down gently on the grass. She took Harry and hermione's hand in each of her little hands and pulled them to the front door. She let go of both of her parents' hands to knock on the door.

Harry could sense that Hermione was nervous so he gently grabbed her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She looked at him and gave him a grateful smile. Even when things weren't totally fine between them, he's still there for her. The door opened and she turned to see a very tearful Mrs. Weasley. The years had been kind to her, aging her gracefully with just a tinge of gray to highlight her ginger head. Laugh lines branched out of the corners of her eyes and stern lines marking the sides of her mouth, presumably from all the scolding she'd been giving all the Weasley boys.

"Oh dear. You're here," she whispered as she hugged her long-lost surrogate daughter. After a few moments, Mrs. Weasley stepped back to hold Hermione at arm's length and gave her a once over.

"You don't feed yourself enough, dear. Good thing you came, I made a lot for tonight," she said.

"Thank you, Molly," Hermione said shyly. She looked down to look at her daughter and saw her trying to hide behind Harry's leg, her earlier enthusiasm gone upon seeing an unfamiliar face. Mrs. Weasley followed her line of sight and saw the little girl, clutching one of Harry's trousers leg. She leaned down and smiled, putting her hand out to Iris.

"Hello there. You're such a beautiful girl. I'm Mrs. Weasley but you can call me Nana Molly, if you like," she said. Iris moved from behind Harry's leg and shook Mrs. Weasley's hand as she said, "Hello, my name is Iris Alexandra Granger. How do you do?"

"Such a polite little girl!" Mrs. Weasley said, looking up at Hermione. "I'm quite alright, thank you for asking. Now come inside and I'll give you some cookies I just made." They all followed Mrs. Weasley into the house and were immediately met by the Weasley children and their children. Seems like almost everyone came to the Burrow to see Hermione and to meet her daughter.

"Harry! Hermione! So glad you could make it!" Mr. Weasley called out from the stairs. He hurriedly went down to hug Hermione and shake Harry's hand.

"Hey, mate! Good, you're early. We're having a quidditch game in a bit," Ron said as he came out of the kitchen followed by Luna and Henry.

"Good thing Hermione thought you'd want a catch up game so I brought my broomstick along," Harry said with a smile, looking down at Hermione. She blushed and Ron couldn't stop the smile from creeping up his face. He knew his best friends were still in love with each other and he understood why they haven't gotten together yet but he still wished they'd pull their heads out of their arses and just follow their hearts.

He and Harry headed out into the garden while Hermione headed towards the kitchen where most of the older Weasleys were. As soon as she opened the door, someone came running towards her and wrapped their arms around her. She belatedly realized it was Ginny and she returned the warm embrace.

"I'm so happy you're back. We all missed you," Ginny said as she moved away from Hermione.

Fred and George approached her and gave her warm hugs as well. Fleur came to her with her youngest daughter in her arms, she gave Hermione a one-arm hug and kissed both her cheeks.

"I 'ope you will not leave anymore. 'Arry will finally be 'appy," she said with a small smile.

"I won't. I promise."

Fleur just nodded and went to sit beside her eldest daughter, Victoire, on the dining table.

Hermione looked around for her daughter and when she didn't see her, she decided to go outside and look for her. She went out the back door and into the garden and saw the boys getting ready for their game. Before she could wonder where Iris was, she saw her with Harry at the swings tied to a large tree branch. They both looked up to her and smiled. She smiled back and walked over to them.

"Hi Mummy! Daddy said he's going to give me a ride on his broomstick after their game!" Iris informed her mother, excitement twinkling in her eyes.

Hermione tried to give Harry a disapproving look but couldn't stop the smile from growing on her lips. He didn't even look repentant and just gave her his signature lopsided grin.

"As long as your daddy promises he won't go too high or too fast," she said, pretending to be stern.

"We promise! Right, Daddy?" her daughter answered, nodding then looking at her father.

"I swear on my life," he said solemnly but was belied by the smile he's trying to hide.

"Go on then. Go start your game so Iris can have a go at flying before supper."

He stood up, took his broomstick and gave both Iris and Hermione kisses on the cheeks. She came to sit on the swing he vacated and turned to her daughter. She could see that Iris couldn't wait to watch her first ever quidditch game, even if it's not a professional one. It looked like her daughter's going to be into quidditch once she gets older, might even play once she goes to Hogwarts. She let out a sigh and moved her gaze towards Harry. She noticed that he's been more and more comfortable at being affectionate towards her again and it's been giving her hope that things are getting better between them. But her hope was suddenly tainted by the memory of the real reason why she came back to London. He mustn't know about it, she resolved she would end it herself because she brought this upon herself. This was her problem and she wouldn't involve anyone, especially Harry.

The game ended about an hour later with Harry catching the snitch before Charlie did. Iris cheered her father on and hastily jumped off the swing when he flew close to her so he can take her on her first broomstick ride. Hermione nervously watched as he sat Iris in front of him and let her hold the handle. He just smiled at her and told her not to worry before making the broom move forward. She could see the happiness in both their eyes, making her relax a bit. She tensed again when Ron sat on the swing beside her and quietly watched Harry and Iris fly around the garden.

They remained quiet for a while. She was about to break the silence when he suddenly spoke, "How are things between you and Harry?"

She was surprised at the question. Funny how she was just thinking about it just a while ago.

"Things are better, I suppose. We're getting more and more comfortable with each other again. He spent the night at my flat last night," she said while looking at the ground. She looked up to see Ron looking seriously at her. She fought herself from squirming under his gaze.

"I've never seen him as happy as he is now than in the fifteen years I've known him," he said.

"Yeah."

"I will never forget the way he looked when he came to my flat the night you left," he said as he looked to the far away distance, "I've always known he loved you. When he told me that night that he finally told you how he felt and that you felt the same way but suddenly left without saying why, I was torn between being so mad at you and sympathizing with Harry. He was so heartbroken it was so difficult to watch. We had to slip him some sleeping potion in his tea so he can calm down."

She kept silent while Ron spoke. She didn't know about this, she and Harry never talked about the night she left. She honestly didn't know what to say.

"When he woke up the next day, we talked. He said he'd look for you and he wouldn't stop until he did," he continued, "He looked for you for five years. Luna and I had to force him from time to time to take a break or just to eat. He was worse the first few months, he barely took care of himself. It was when he fainted in his flat due to dehydration and malnutrition did he start taking care of himself again. I told him he won't be able to find you if he's dead, then you might not even want to get back with him because he looked like death.

"Two years in, I was starting to discourage him from looking for you. We both know that if you didn't want to be found, you wouldn't be. You're that smart. But he wouldn't hear any of it. I even tried setting him up with other witches from work. Luna gave me hell for that because she knew he loved you and wouldn't even think of going on dates while looking for you. Did you know that he never went on a single date in the past five years? Never even slept with any woman, even if they were practically throwing themselves at him. He was that devoted to you, said that he would be cheating on you if he went out with any woman."

She whipped her head towards Ron at this and her mouth opened and closed, not sure what to say. Ron looked at her and she stuttered, "H-He never slept with anyone in five years?"

He nodded, "Yeah, been celibate all these years. Bloody crazy if you asked me."

She looked down again, still trying to process this information. They've asked each other if they have dated in the past five years. She told him she went out with a few men but it never went beyond the first date. She also remembered him changing the subject without answering the question. She just assumed that he dated around and didn't want to tell her.

"I-I didn't know. He never told me," she said in a low voice.

"I'm sure he didn't. Probably didn't want you to know he loved you that much. He didn't want you to know you have that much of power over him."

"Then why are you telling me this?"

"Because I want you to do everything you can to let him know and assure him that you love him just as much. I know and I can see that you love him and he's just scared that you'd up and leave again. He wants to be with you but he's afraid, bloody terrified, of having his heart broken again by the same woman," he answered solemnly.

She looked and studied Ron for a bit, her other best friend for the past fifteen years. He may have had the emotional range of a teaspoon in their teenage years but he has grown to be a mature man, father and husband.

"I deserved it if he finds it hard to trust me but I promised myself that I'll do everything to show him that I love him and I'm here to stay. I was stupid to leave before and I won't do that to him again. I will never forgive myself if I hurt him again."

"I know. But even if you broke his heart, I will still beat his arse if he broke yours," he teased, finally smiling at her.

She smiled back and said, "I'm sure that won't be necessary but thank you, Ron."

He stood and faced her saying, "And they say I'm the immature one in the trio," before turning towards Harry and Iris who were finished from flying. The little girl had the brightest smile on her face Hermione has ever seen. She ran towards Ron, who took her into his arms and spun her around. She squealed loud and giggled as they came to a stop.

"Wanna go in the kitchen and steal some cookies from Nana Molly?" he asked her conspiratorially.

She smiled mischievously, which Hermione thought was suspiciously similar to her father's, and nodded. They began walking towards the house while Harry went to sit on the swing Ron was occupying earlier.

"Did you have fun? How did she like flying?" she asked.

"Well, I can confidently say that she will soon be playing quidditch when she starts going to Hogwarts," he answered, puffing his chest out.

"I thought about the same thing earlier." They laughed together for a bit before Harry turned towards her with a serious expression on her face.

"What did you and Ron talk about? Looked serious."

She was silent for a few minutes before facing him, looking straight into his eyes. "Is it true you never went out on a date or slept with other women in the past five years?"

Harry sighed and looked towards the house. "Bloody Ron."

"Not once?"

"Not once."

"Why?"

He looked at her as if she was being daft, "Do you really have to ask that?"

"W-Well, you could have had any woman," she said lamely.

"YOU were the woman I wanted but you were gone. There wasn't anyone else I was interested in, so dating and sleeping around weren't exactly on my to-do list."

"But when we talked about it, you didn't answer. I just assumed you did."

"It doesn't matter to me whether you dated in the past five years or not. I never dated because I wasn't interested in it. I never dated because I was in love with you. I couldn't do that to you," his voice was so low, it was almost a whisper.

"I'm sorry. I don't think I'll ever say sorry enough," she said, "I dated because I thought you'd just move on and date other women. I tried to date but I just kept comparing them to you and they just weren't enough."

He looked at her with soft eyes and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Like I said, it doesn't matter," he said. She nodded and just stared at his eyes.

He suddenly stood up and said with a smile, "We better go inside. Who knows what Ron's been feeding our daughter."

She laughed and nodded. He held out his hand and she took it as she stood up. And he didn't let go of her hand even after they had gone into the Burrow.

It was late when they got back to Hermione's flat after their animated dinner at the Burrow. Harry was carrying his sleeping daughter in his arms as t hey apparated into the sitting room. Hermione led him to their daughter's room.

When she turned on the lights, what she saw on the little girl's bed made her blood turn cold. She quickly turned to Harry pulling his sleeve back the way they came and said in an urgent voice,

"We need to leave the flat. Now."

* * *

_**A/N: Dun dun duuunn. So, what did you think? Lemme know! You guys are awesome! :)**_


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